A trend in the computer industry is to servers having multiple components such as power supplies, fans and PCI cards, for example, a four-way server which has four redundant components inside and an eight-way server containing eight redundant components. An advantage of these servers is that if one component in a server goes down, the server can still keep running, e.g., a user can replace a defective electronic card or other component using "hot swapping" without crashing the system.
The most common method for holding down a PCI card is to use a screw as illustrated in FIG. 7. A screw implementation is disadvantageous in a hot-swap system because too much time is required to remove/replace the screw, and there is a danger that the loosened screw could fall onto powered components to result in an electrical disaster. One disadvantageous hot plug PCI retainer and actuator eliminates the need for this screw, thus reducing part count and loose hardware. However, this known retainer and actuator requires additional parts such as metal hinges or mounting hardware on the chassis. This can increase the required thickness/strength of the sheet metal of the chassis, thereby adding weight and increasing cost.